Juggernauts Repeat At 2016 Emmys, But Fresh Faces Get Their Due

It was the night of the small-screen giants. And none stood taller at the 2016 Emmys than the HBO juggernauts Game of Thrones and Veep, which won for best drama and comedy series, respectively. The People v. O.J. Simpson also won the Emmy for outstanding limited series.

Game of Thrones and VEEP may have pulled off repeat wins at Sunday's Emmy Awards, but there was also plenty of room for fresh faces in the winner's circle.

First-time nominee Rami Malek won best drama actor for his role as on USA's Mr. Robot as delusional hacker Elliot Alderson. "Please tell me you're seeing this, too," Malek quipped before noting there was probably a bit of the alienated Alderson in all of us.

Tatiana Maslany, who plays several different clones of the same woman on the sci-fi series Orphan Black, was a surprise winner as best drama actress; fans of the show often complained in its early years that her acting achievements weren't recognized by the Emmys.

The comedy categories were a bit more predictable. VEEP star Julia Louis-Dreyfus earned her fifth consecutive Emmy as best comedy actress – her seventh Emmy as a performer, in total – equaling the total by Mary Tyler Moore and Allison Janney. She choked up while accepting her award, dedicating it to her father, who she said had passed away on Friday.

Transparent star Jeffrey Tambor was named best actor in a comedy; his second consecutive Emmy win. Tambor used his acceptance speech to advocate that the producers and TV executives in the room hire more transgender performers to play transgender characters.

"Please give transgender talent a chance," said Tambor, who is himself a non-transgender actor playing a transgender character. "I would not be unhappy were I the last cisgender male to play a female transgender on television."

Host Jimmy Kimmel even managed a joke about how the dark and often dramatic Transparent wound up competing in the Emmys as a comedy, noting the show "was born as a drama, but it identifies as a comedy."

Kimmel proved a nimble and snarky host, tweaking GOP presidential candidate (and former Celebrity Apprentice star) Donald Trump as a creation of reality TV and starting the awards with a pre-taped comedy bit that included former GOP candidate Jeb Bush playing a limo driver. The comic handed out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the crowd and drew gasps by having the show's announcer note that the next presenter would be Bill Cosby, now facing trial on sexual assault charges.

"He's not really here," Kimmel joked, walking onstage after the camera had shown several shocked celebrities in the audience. "I just wanted to see what you guys would do."

FX's People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story ruled much of the limited series category, with big wins for Sarah Paulson, Sterling K. Brown and Courtney B. Vance, who played Simpson prosecutors Marcia Clark and Chris Darden and Simpson defense attorney Johnnie Cochrane, respectively.

Paulson even apologized during her acceptance speech for originally joining the world back during the time of the Simpson trial in adopting a "superficial" opinion of Clark, who attended the Emmys Sunday with the actress.

On the heels of continued debate about diversity in Hollywood, the Emmy awards honored a wide variety of performers, writers, directors and producers. Key wins for people of color and women included: Master of None's Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang (writing in a comedy series), Transparent's Jill Soloway (directing, comedy series), Key & Peele (variety sketch series), American Crime's Regina King (supporting actress, limited series). Such diversity ensured organizers never had to worry about a hashtag like #EmmysSoWhite trending.

The show even concluded at its scheduled time, with no extra padding. It added up to an Emmycast which deftly honored longtime achievers while shining a spotlight on new talents, delivering an awards show worthy of TV's current Golden Age.

NPR's TV critic, Eric Deggans, along with Glen Weldon and Linda Holmes of Monkey See, offered commentary on the show in real time. Dig back into their tweets as the night went on below — or find all the fun right here on Twitter.

Below, you'll find a list of all the nominees and winners. Find the winners in bold.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (Crackle)Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS)Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO)The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)

The Americans, "Persona Non Grata"(FX), Written by Joel fields, Joe WeisenbergDownton Abbey, "Episode 8"(PBS), Writen by Julian FellowesGame of Thrones, "Battle Of The Bastards"(HBO), Written by David Benioff, D.B. WeissThe Good Wife, "End"(CBS), Written by Robert King, Michelle KingMr. Robot, "eps1.0_hellofriend.mov"(USA), Written by Sam EsmailUnREAL, "Return"(Lifetime), Written by Marti Noxon, Sarah Gertrude Shapiro

If you missed last night's Emmy Awards or you want to relive them, we're here for you. HBO's "Game Of Thrones" and "Veep" won big last night - named TV's best drama and best comedy series for the second year in a row. But as NPR TV critic Eric Deggans explains, it was also a big night for new faces.

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE: "Mr. Robot" star Rami Malek looked nearly as confused as his character on the Emmy stage Sunday night. The first-time winner was accepting an award as best actor in a TV drama for playing delusional hacker Elliot Alderson, inspiring this quip in his acceptance speech.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS)

RAMI MALEK: Please tell me you're seeing this, too.

(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)

MALEK: Oh, my God.

DEGGANS: Emmy watchers across the country may have thought the same thing as the awards shrugged off their old reputation for honoring the same talents every year. On Sunday, the winners' circle included several new faces, like Malik, alongside repeat winners like "Game Of Thrones" and "Veep." "Veep" star Julia Louis-Dreyfus earned her fifth Emmy in a row as best actress in a comedy. She apologized for creating a political satire that, quote, "now feels like a sobering documentary" and dedicated her award to a special person.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS)

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS: I'd like to dedicate this to my father, William Louis-Dreyfus, who passed away on Friday. And I'm so glad that he liked "Veep" because his opinion was the one that really mattered. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

DEGGANS: "Transparent" star Jeffrey Tambor was also our repeat winner, earning his second consecutive award as best actor in a comedy. He used part of his acceptance speech to speak directly to producers, directors and executives.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS)

JEFFREY TAMBOR: Please give trans - transgender talent a chance.

(APPLAUSE)

TAMBOR: Give them auditions. Give them their story. I would not be unhappy were I the last cisgender male to play a female transgender on television.

(APPLAUSE)

DEGGANS: As debates persist over diversity in Hollywood, there were important wins Sunday for women, non-white people and LGBTQ people. Still, Alan Yang, who won a comedy-writing Emmy with Aziz Ansari for Netflix's "Master Of None," noted the challenges remain.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS)

ALAN YANG: There's 17 million Asian-Americans in this country, and there's 17 million Italian-Americans. They have "The Godfather," "Goodfellas," "Rocky," "The Sopranos." We got "Long Duk Dong," so we got a long way to go.

(APPLAUSE)

DEGGANS: Host Jimmy Kimmel was nimble and acerbic, cracking jokes that took on perennial Emmy no-show Maggie Smith, O.J. Simpson and even Bill Cosby. First, there was a jarring announcement.

DEGGANS: As the camera showed the shocked faces of some celebrities, the host appeared to deliver the punch line.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS)

JIMMY KIMMEL: He's not really here. I just wanted to see what you guys would do.

(LAUGHTER)

DEGGANS: There were lots of jokes about politics, with barbs about Donald Trump and a pre-taped bit where Kimmel jumped into an Uber and discovered ex-GOP candidate Jeb Bush was the driver.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS)

KIMMEL: You're driving?

JEB BUSH: Yeah, I'm in between jobs right now. You know you can make $12 an hour driving for Uber?

DEGGANS: It all added up to a surprisingly deft program, honoring new talents and longtime favorites - an awards show worthy of TV's current golden age. I'm Eric Deggans. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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